


Pretend

by Novaturient



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Accidental Death, Blink And You Miss It Slash, Denial of Feelings, Foe Yay, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss, Love/Hate, Multi, Possibly Pre-Slash, Pre-Canon, Regret, Shippy (if you squint), Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 00:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14123883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaturient/pseuds/Novaturient
Summary: He was the only part of Kikyo that Naraku could still touch.





	Pretend

It had just rained.

The ground was damp, and it was starting to soak through his clothes as he sat in the grass. The spring breeze was just a bit too cold still, the sun just a bit too bright as it broke through the clouds. The faint scent of earth and flowers lingered in the air. Naraku noticed none of these things. He stared up at the red-clad figure, pinned to the ancient tree, gaze unwavering as he was lost in his thoughts.

Every time Naraku came to this place, he expected the half-demon to finally be dead. Inuyasha had certainly made enough enemies before his imprisonment. Somehow, though, he remained. The years passed, slowly, quietly, and the world changed. It's people moved on. But not Inuyasha. He was just as he had been, that fateful, wretched day so long ago. Beautiful, his long silver hair and smooth skin unblemished by time or the elements.

Naraku stood, gliding to where Inuyasha was trapped. Reaching up, his rested his claws on Inuyasha's neck. He pressed them into the tender flesh there; gently, just enough to draw the faintest hint of blood. In the fifty years since Kikyo's death, Naraku had learned to control his strength. Not that it mattered now, anyways. His claws trailed down Inuyasha's throat, and Naraku saw the slight shimmer of protective magic along Inuyasha's skin. There wouldn't be any mark left behind, no matter how violently Naraku tried to leave one.

Even in her misplaced fury, Kikyo's love for the half-demon had prevailed.

Can't beat that. Naraku had given up trying, ages ago. These yearly trips were just a formality, now. He sighed, resting his forehead on Inuyasha's chest and listening to the soft, sluggish beat of the boy's heart. The heart that Kikyo had adored. Her body was gone. Her grave, if there was one, was unknown to him. This fool, and the magic binding him, was all Naraku had left. Kikyo's scent had long since faded from Inuyasha's clothing, but if he closed his eyes, Naraku could pretend it was still just barely there. He could pretend that it wasn't just Inuyasha's scent.

A twig snapped in the distance.

For a moment, Naraku thought he really could sense Kikyo. He opened his eyes and listened, his own traitorous heart picking up speed for just a fleeting second of time. But the forest was silent once more. Of course it was; she was dead, and nothing would change that. Wishful thinking, he thought with a frown, on top of all his other weaknesses. Time to go.

Naraku shook his head, pulling back and giving Inuyasha's neck one last caress before heading towards home.

He only glanced back once, this time.


End file.
